National Housing Strategy

In November 2017, the federal government unveiled Canada's first ever National Housing Strategy. This $40 billion, 10 year program contained a number of programs and policies designed to protect, strengthen, and grow the community housing sector in Canada. Since that time, additional programs and policies have been added to the Strategy. Many of the Strategy's key components align with the recommendations proposed by CHRA in late 2016.

The Strategy's key components include:

  • National Housing Co-Investment Fund: A $13 billion, 10 year program that provides grants and loans to build new community housing and repair existing community housing.
  • Federal Community Housing Initiative and Canada Community Housing Initiative: Funding that provides ongoing rental subsidies to housing providers whose federal or provincial Operating Agreements are set to expire before 2028.
  • Reaching Home Program: The federal program that works with community entities to address and prevent homelessness.
  • Federal Lands Initiative: A $200 million, 10 year initiative that transfers surplus federal lands to community housing providers to build new affordable housing.
  • Research and innovation measures: The National Housing Strategy contained a number of measured designed to enhance research into housing and pursue innovative practices.
  • Rapid Housing Initiative: Launched in September 2020, with additional funding provided in 2021, this $2.5 billion program provides grants to build new community housing quickly.
  • Right to housing legislation: In 2019, Parliament passed the "National Housing Strategy Act" that codified the right to housing, and established 2 new accountability bodies to oversee the progressive right to housing, the National Housing Council and the Federal Housing Advocate
  • Canada Housing Benefit: A cost matched program with provinces and territories that provides portable rental subsidies to qualifying individuals (Benefits are administered by each province and territory individually).
  • Community Housing Transformation Centre: An arms length organization that provides grants to community housing organizations designed to accelerate transformation of the sector and support tenant activities.
  • Rental Construction Financing Initiative: A program providing low cost loans to develop sustainable rental housing.